MYP Prospectus 2012-13 - Renaissance College

Renaissance College Hong Kong
MYP School prospectus

Contents
Section 1
Introduction 2
Section 2
The International Baccalaureate 3
Section 3
The IB Learner Profile 4
Section 4
The Middle Years Programme (MYP) 5
Section 5
MYP: The Essentials 6
Section 6
MYP: Areas of Interaction 9
Section 7
MYP: Subject Areas 11
Section 8
MYP: Assessment 12
Section 9
MYP: Personal Project 14
Section 10
MYP Certificate & Record of Achievement 15

Section 1: Introduction
Renaissance College Mission Statement
Through a curriculum that is both rigorous and holistic, the College will develop global
citizens who strive for academic excellence, appreciate the aesthetics and are
empowered to take progressive action.
RCHK strives to build a culture, which promotes peace and democracy, values diversity,
and works toward a sustainable future for all.
We aim to deliver an education that is rigorous and holistic. To that end, the College has chosen to offer
all three International Baccalaureate (IB) programmes, the Primary Years Programme (PYP), the Middle
Years Programme (MYP), and the Diploma Programme (DP).
The MYP is designed for students aged 11 to 16 years. The MYP encourages students to be life-long
learners who are adaptable and willing to accept change. In this age of rapid change and technological innovation,
students need to be equipped with the skills necessary to process new knowledge, interpret and
process it, and use it effectively.
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Section 2:
The International Baccalaureate Organization (IB)
Today the IBO offers three educational programmes for schools to follow:
• The Diploma Programme (DP) is an internationally recognised two-year pre-university course for students
aged 16 to 19. It was established in the late 1960’s and RCHK was authorised to offer the DP in May
2007.
• The Middle Years Programme (MYP) is a five-year programme for students aged 11 to 16. It was
introduced in 1992 and RCHK was authorised to offer the programme in November 2007.
• The Primary Years Programme (PYP) is a six-year programme for students aged 3 to 12. It was
introduced in 1997 and RCHK was authorised to offer the programme in March 2008.
• RCHK is the second school in Hong Kong authorised to offer all three IB programmes.
What are the common links between these three programmes
• Educating the whole person
• Responsible citizenship
• Broad and balanced curriculum
• International understanding
• Importance of effective communication
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Section 3: IB Learner Profile
The aim of all IB programmes is to develop global citizens who recognise their common humanity and
shared guardianship of the planet, and are committed to creating a better and more peaceful world.
IB Learners strive to be:
Inquirers
They develop their natural curiosity. They acquire the skills necessary to conduct inquiry
and research and show independence in learning. They actively enjoy learning and this
love of learning will be sustained throughout their lives.
Knowledgeable They explore concepts, ideas and issues that have local and global significance. In so
doing, they acquire in-depth knowledge and develop understanding across a broad and
balanced range of disciplines.
Thinkers
They exercise initiative in applying thinking skills critically and creatively to recognise
and approach complex problems, and make reasoned, ethical decisions.
Communicators They understand and express ideas and information confidently and creatively in more
than one language and in a variety of modes of communication. They work effectively
and willingly in collaboration with others.
Principled
They act with integrity and honesty, with a strong sense of fairness, justice and respect
for the dignity of the individual, groups and communities. They take responsibility for
their own actions and the consequences that accompany them.
Open-minded
They understand and appreciate their own cultures and personal histories, and are open
to the perspectives, values and traditions of other individuals and communities. They are
accustomed to seeking and evaluating a range of points of view, and are willing to grow
from the experience.
Caring
They show empathy, compassion and respect towards the needs and feelings of others.
They have a personal commitment to service, and act to make a positive difference to
the lives of others and to the environment.
Risk-takers
They approach unfamiliar situations and uncertainty with courage and forethought, and
have the independence of spirit to explore new roles, ideas and strategies. They are
brave and articulate in defending their beliefs.
Balanced
They understand the importance of intellectual, physical and emotional balance to
achieve personal well-being for themselves and others.
Reflective
They give thoughtful consideration to their own learning and experience. They are able
to assess and understand their strengths and limitations in order to support their learning
and personal development.
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Section 4: The Middle Years Programme (MYP)
Background
The MYP began as an initiative of the International Schools Association in the early 1980s. The curriculum
shared much of the same philosophy as the Diploma Programme and was intended as a lead-in to the
IB Diploma Programme. The first draft of the curriculum was produced in 1987. Emphasis was placed on
developing the skills, attitudes and knowledge needed to participate in an increasingly global society, while
meeting the particular needs of 11 to 16 year olds.
MYP Around The World
There are now more than 918 authorized schools in over 75 different countries, with many more schools
implementing the programme and seeking authorisation. Schools in the Asia-Pacific region have embraced
the MYP.
Why Do Schools Adopt The MYP
• The MYP philosophy is an obvious choice for international schools.
• It provides national schools the opportunity to offer a more international perspective.
• In many regions the MYP is seen as superior to the local curriculum, providing quality assurance for
parents and students in the middle years of secondary education.
• Research into how students learn effectively shows the MYP philosophy and methodologies are
particularly appropriate.
• It is an academically rigorous programme with high standards ensured by the IB.
The Main Characteristics Of The MYP
• Broad base of disciplines.
• Balance of concepts, skills and processes.
• Holistic approach to knowledge.
• Attention to life skills, health and the environment.
• Child-centred approach focusing on the cognitive, creative and physical development of adolescents.
• Balance of formative and summative assessment, encouraging multiple forms of assessment.
• Flexibility to meet both IBO and local requirements.
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Section 5: MYP: The Essentials
The MYP Octagon
This diagram shows the main focus of the MYP curriculum. At the centre is the profile of a child placed on the
background of the globe. This symbolises the MYP’s ‘child-centred’ approach, and international perspective.
On the first ring are the ‘Approaches to Learning’ - the essential ingredients for acquiring knowledge. Around
this are the four ‘Areas of Interaction’ : Community and Service, Human Ingenuity, Environments, and Health
and Social Education. At the eight points of the octagon are the subject areas. The subject areas provide the
content through which the Areas of Interaction can be explored and linked.
Fundamental Concepts
There are three fundamental concepts that form the underlying philosophy for the MYP: intercultural
awareness, holistic education and communication.
Intercultural Awareness
• This concept is concerned with developing students’ attitudes, knowledge and skills as they learn
about their own and others’ social and national cultures. It not only encourages tolerance and
respect, but also leads to empathy and understanding.
• Students should be conscious of the shared humanity that binds all people together while respecting
the variety of cultures and attitudes that make for the richness of life.
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• Students are expected to develop a genuine understanding of their own history and culture, and
they are encouraged to appreciate the traditions of other people and other places.
• Intercultural awareness goes beyond tolerance towards the ideas and artifacts of other
cultures. It is a positive empathetic movement towards others, a readiness to act cooperatively in
genuine exchange. It should promote the universal values common to civilised societies.
• Developing intercultural awareness concerns everyone within the school community. At RCHK
we are constantly evaluating and improving upon policies and practices with input from students,
teachers, administrators and parents in practical activities.
How does teaching and learning at RCHK promote intercultural awareness
In individual subject curriculums, teachers choose themes and content that allow students to explore their
own and other cultures. A wide variety of teaching/learning resources, methods and styles ensure that ways of
learning from other cultures are valued and utilised. Special events and celebrations throughout the school year
also promote the values of tolerance and understanding. Making use of the whole school community - teachers,
students, parents and local organisations is vital in developing intercultural awareness at RCHK.
Holistic Education
• The MYP requires an approach to teaching and learning which extends beyond traditional school
subjects. The programme emphasises the disciplined study of traditional subject groups, while the
‘Areas of Interaction’ provide a way to develop links between the disciplines.
• Holistic education helps students realise that most real-world problems require insights gained
from a variety of disciplines; they develop the skills of inquiry and understand the similarities and
differences between approaches to human knowledge.
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How does teaching and learning at RCHK promote holistic education
At RCHK, we aim to provide an holistic education by developing ‘Areas of Interaction’ within and across
the academic disciplines, developing links between the subjects based on the AOIs. RCHK ensures that
teachers communicate and coordinate learning activities across and within academic disciplines by providing
common planning time, in which teachers can meet to discuss their curriculums and develop interdisciplinary
activities. By using the ‘Areas of Interaction’ and increasing secondary teachers’ knowledge of other subject
curriculums, we aim to produce an exciting and relevant interdisciplinary curriculum.
Communication
• The MYP stresses the central importance of communication, verbal and non-verbal, as a vehicle
to realise the aims of the programme. A good command of expression in all of its forms is
fundamental to learning and will be essential in the workplace of the future.
• The IB places particular emphasis on language acquisition, which is regarded as crucial for
maintaining cultural identity, personal development and intercultural understanding.
• The ability to communicate one’s ideas in an appropriate form is seen as an essential skill.
• Good communication is an expectation in all subject areas and is also a criterion of assessment for
Science and Maths.
How does teaching and learning at RCHK develop communication
Through our languages programme, RCHK offers Putonghua and English at different levels in the MYP. We
aim to offer students the opportunity to eventually communicate in more than one language. Where possible
provisions will be made for students entering the programme who wish to pursue a mother tongue other than
English or Putonghua. RCHK has a detailed language policy, available from the College.
Individual subject areas actively promote a variety of learning skills that allow students to communicate
information efficiently. A wide variety of assessment tasks are undertaken that demand multiple forms of
expression, offering students various ways to communicate their knowledge.
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Section 6: MYP: Areas of Interaction
Looking back at the MYP octagon you will notice two key sections: the ‘Areas of Interaction’ and the subject
areas.
How are the ‘Areas of Interaction’ addressed at RCHK
The ‘Areas of Interaction’ create meaningful connections between subjects. The five ‘Areas of Interaction’
give the MYP its distinctive core. They are taught in a coherent and creative way over the five years of the
programme, in each subject and interdisciplinary teaching, projects and special programmes. They allow
teachers and students to focus on “real world” aspects of subjects that are connected to current affairs.
They help to highlight the holistic and inter-related nature of subjects.
The Areas of Interaction are a vital part of the MYP. They are a central focus when teachers write the
curriculum and plan their lessons. The AOIs enable teachers to complement content with a focus on skills,
attitudes and values. The AOI’s also help students to gain a real life context for their learning.
What are the five ‘Areas of Interaction’
Approaches to Learning (ATL)
The ATL represent general and subject-specific learning skills that students will develop and apply during
the programme and beyond. The focus of this area is on teaching students how to learn and helping them
find out more about themselves as learners.
Community and Service
Community and Service considers how a student engages with his or her immediate family, classmates
and friends. Through effective planning and teaching, students can learn about their place within
communities and be motivated to act in a new context.
Health and Social Education
Health and Social Education delves into a range of issues that exists in human societies, such as social
structures, relationships and health. Students can identify and develop skills that will enable them to function
as effective members of societies, identify how they are changing and how to make informed decisions that
relate to their welfare.
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Environments
This considers how humans interact with the world at large and the part we play in our environments. It extends
into areas beyond human issues and asks students to examine the interrelationships of different environments.
This area can lead students to consider their immediate classroom environments and global environments.
Human Ingenuity
Human Ingenuity deals with the way human minds have influenced the world, for example, the way we think,
interact with each other, create, find solutions to and cause problems, transform ideas and rationalise thought.
It also considers the consequences of human thought and action.
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Section 7: MYP: Subject Areas
At RCHK, we embrace the philosophy of the MYP by offering a truly holistic education throughout the five
years of the programme. This broad education means our students take at least one subject from each of the
eight subject areas.
The Subject Areas are:
• Language A (mother tongue / language of instruction – English or Chinese)
• Language B (second language - English or Chinese), or an additional language A
• Science
• Humanities
• Physical Education
• Technology
• Arts (Visual Arts, Music and Drama)
• Mathematics
What are the Subject Aims and Objectives
In each subject, the IBO expects students to achieve defined aims, skills and objectives while leaving the
overall content up to the school. In some subjects there is a more prescriptive framework of topics that need
to be included in the curriculum. Each subject area has a five-year scope and sequence developed specifically
for the college.
Aims and Objectives to be covered by all students:
Knowledge: The facts students should be able to recall to ensure competence in the subject.
Understanding: How students are able to interpret or predict aspects of the subject.
Application: How students can apply what has been learned in new situations.
Attitude: How the student is changed by the learning experience.
For more detailed information on the different subject groups please refer to the RCHK website.
How do we fit all of this into a school day
In line with MYP philosophy, all students are expected to study the same broad and balanced curriculum from
Year 7 to Year 11, covering the eight subject areas. Individual subjects are encouraged to integrate where
possible. The IBO requires that all subjects must be studied for at least 50 hours per year. At RCHK we more
than fulfill this requirement in each of the subjects.
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Section 8: MYP: Assessment
MYP assessment is based on formative assessment. The aim of formative assessment is to help students
understand their progress and ways they can improve their performance. This means students have to
understand the methods of assessment and play an active role in the process.
The assessment system used at RCHK is called a criterion-referenced model. Our students are assessed
against prescribed standards or levels of achievement. This means that all students can achieve high grades
as long as they meet these standards. The strength of this model is that students are assessed for what they
can do, rather than being ranked against each other. Students are informed about the assessment criteria used
to mark each piece of work, and receive feedback on their performance based on the level descriptors.
Students may be assessed in some of the following ways: tests, essays, presentations, modeling, videos,
reports and podcasts.
What are our students taught to do
• Understand the criteria and descriptors used for assessment in each subject
• Compile their own assessment records in their student organisers
• Assess themselves and their peers using the criteria
What are teachers required to do
• Encourage students to use the criteria when doing assignments and to hand in drafts so that they
can receive feedback on each of the criteria.
• Explain which assessment criteria will be used for a piece of work and give feedback to students.
• Write task-specific achievement levels (rubrics) based on the criteria.
• Assess students against the criteria.
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Some important points about assessment:
• Each of the eight subject areas has different assessment criteria. These are based on each subject’s
objectives and are a balance of concepts and skills.
• The IB MYP Criteria of Assessment must be used in Year 11 of the programme, but in the other
four years, schools are allowed to adapt the criteria
• The MYP encourages teachers to develop a range of different assessment tasks to test a range
of objectives and skills. These are used to collect data to award grades. This is seen as good
educational practice, as educational research clearly shows that we all learn in different ways.
A variety of different assessment tasks should allow more of our students to become “successful”
at school.
• In each subject students are awarded a final grade from 1 to 7. Teachers award individual criteria
grades. The sum of these grades places the student in a grade band determined by the IBO.
• Although there are no external exams in the MYP, standards are maintained by sending students’
work away in the final year of the programme to be moderated by the IBO.
• During the moderation process, teachers compile a sample of work from each subject. This
sample is sent to IBO appointed and trained moderators, who ensure that schools are correctly
assessing the students against the criteria. This creates standardised grades in the MYP.
• All MYP students at RCHK are expected to sit internal examinations each year to learn how
to perform under examination conditions.
• Without compromising standards, assessment takes into account the requirements of students
whose first language is not the language of instruction, and enables them to receive recognition for
their higher order thinking skills.
Where do our reports fit in
Reports are issued four times a year. These interim and end of semester reports reports reflect the curriculum
and assessment philosophy of the MYP. They include subject criteria grades and an effort / commitment grade.
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Section 9:
MYP: Personal Project
The Personal Project is a significant piece of work produced over an extended period of time. At RCHK we
start this process in March of Year 10, and complete it in January of Year 11. It is designed to be “personal”
to the student and a product of the student’s own initiative and creativity.
The Personal Project should be seen as the culminating activity of the Middle Years Programme as it ties
together the techniques and strategies contained in ‘Approaches to Learning’ (ATL). It also addresses one or
more of the other ‘Areas of Interaction’ and demonstrates the personal abilities and skills required to produce
an extended piece of work.
The students work with a supervisor over the period of the Personal Project and have regular scheduled
meetings with their supervisor. The supervisor will generally be someone from within the school, but in some
cases outside supervision is sought.
Each student must produce a product alongside a structured piece of writing. The structured writing explains,
in depth, the process the student followed in realising the final product. This piece of writing must not exceed
4000 words. Each student will be presented with a process journal which will help them to organise a project
of this size.
The project must not be part of a subject’s work or assessment and students are encouraged to find a project
that is both of interest to them and not linked directly to a subject already taught.
The Personal Project gives students an opportunity to produce truly personal work, and this experience
prepares them for the Extended Essay, which is a core requirement of the Diploma Programme.
The Personal Project can be, but is not limited to, one of the following:
• An original work of art (visual, dramatic, performance)
• A written piece of work on a special topic (literary, social, psychological, anthropological)
• A piece of literary fiction (creative writing)
• An original science experiment
• An invention or specially designed object / system
• The presentation of a developed business, management, or organisational plan
• A design of a school, park, recreational space
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Section 10:
MYP Certificate and Record of Achievement
In addition to a well-rounded and demanding education, students who have successfully completed the MYP
receive an MYP Certificate and Record of Achievement.
All MYP subjects receive a final grade ranging from 1 (very poor) to 7 (excellent) on their Certificate and
Record of Achievement.
Who receives the MYP Certificate
A student who:
• Gains at least 36 out of a possible 63 points, based on their best subject from each group
and the personal project. i.e. an average of 4
• Fulfills community service requirements
• Gains at least a 3 in the Personal Project
• Gains at least a 2 in their best subject from each group
• Has been enrolled in the programme for the final two years
The College must undertake moderation for students to receive their MYP Certificates.
What is the Record of Achievement
The Record of Achievement gives a final grade for each subject studied in Year 11.
What does an MYP Certificate look like
What does a Record of Achievement look like
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